Footsteps
by melancholic
Summary: He has always known, somehow, that she would end up walking into his life and changing its course. The early stages of Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks’s relationship, as explained by the different kinds of walking.
1. Tiptoe

**Summary:** He has always known, somehow, that she would end up walking into his life and changing its course. The early stages of Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks's relationship, as explained by the different kinds of walking.

**A/N:** This was written for the first round at the All Hallows' Moon Jumble over at Metamorfic Moon on LiveJournal. A million thanks to ishandtwofourths and artificial-sprite for their patience and being fantastic betas. :D My prompts were a day of destiny, romance, the giant squid, and I chose location prompt #36 (picture of a man and a woman's shoes). This story only covers OotP, mainly because it was turning out to be longer than I expected and there wasn't enough time to write about HBP and DH, lol! Feedback would be greatly appreciated. :)

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**Footsteps**

_(n.) a step with the foot; a step on which to go up or down._

**I. Tiptoe**

_(v.) to move or go on tiptoe, as with caution or stealth;  
(adj.) eagerly expectant._

He knows what will happen before it does.

Her arms flail wildly in the air, a little squeak of panic escaping her lips as she pitches forward and plummets rather ungracefully towards the ground. Remus Lupin's eyes widen, the heavy tome in his hands abruptly forgotten as he prepares to dive to her rescue. He knows he has made a foolish mistake when it falls on his feet with a loud _thud_, rendering him incapable of performing any kind of saving. He grimaces and holds back a yelp, and as his toes protest under the weight of the massive book, he finds himself looking down into a pair of dark eyes.

They belong to a woman with spiky pink hair, who lies on the floor with the blush on her cheeks evident even in the dimly lit hallway. An awkward silence passes between them as they exchange uncomfortable looks. Remus manages to remember how to be a gentleman after he picks up the book from his feet, so he extends a hand to help the newcomer. She gratefully reaches for it, and as her fingers brush his, he feels something stir at the warm touch of her skin. The fact that there is a meeting he has to go back to (and Dumbledore needs the book on giants he had just fetched from the library) slips from his mind.

"Thanks," the woman says, and while she straightens herself up and tries to remove the creases in her clothing, Remus gets a few moments to study her profile. Her bright, short hair stands out in contrast to the dark blue of what look like Ministry robes, and he catches a glimpse of what she wears under them – a loud, green t-shirt with the slogan _The Weird Sisters_ emblazoned on it, and a pair of jeans with the holes in them artfully designed. Her eyes meet his again, and this time, Remus feels a flush blooming across his cheeks because she has caught him staring – no,_observing._ An uncertain smile appears on her face, and her dark eyes sparkle as the blush caused by her grand entrance fades.

"I tried to come early, I really did!" she rushes to explain, her hands making wild gestures as she points to the rug beneath their feet and the troll leg umbrella stand that lies toppled behind her. "But I got held up at work because Scrimgeour wanted a word, and Kingsley, git he is, left without me!" The words tumble out of her mouth, and all Remus can do is nod at her as she babbles on without acknowledging him.

"Not that I couldn't have come here by myself. I did! I'm an _Auror_, for Merlin's sake!" she cries. "Anyway, I've already been here before, and Moody himself was there to show me around. There wasn't a meeting then, and it's just my bloody luck that the first time I have to attend one, I'm late and I make a spectacular display of my clumsiness. But it's not my fault! I tried to tiptoe in so I wouldn't disturb everyone, but I didn't even notice that thing was there!" Remus takes this break in the conversation as an opportunity to _attempt_ to understand what she is going on about.

His eyebrow arches of its own accord as he wonders what to make of the absurdity of the situation: here is a young woman who looks as though she should be heading to a rock concert after work, and _not_ a meeting in a spooky and depressing old manor in the middle of London. She, in all of the fire and light she exudes, definitely looks out of place in the gloominess of Number 12, Grimmauld Place. And there is also the umbrella stand that she speaks so vehemently of, as though it is entirely to blame for her stumble. His gaze travels upon it. It does look innocent enough and is probably the victim of the new girl, he thinks wryly.

"It's just so… dark and creepy. I should've expected my relatives to be_that_ disturbing, what with using a _troll's leg_ to house umbrellas..."

_Relatives?_ Remus thinks, his brain doing a poor job of trying to catch up with what she is saying._Wait until you see the stuffed elf heads._

"...I mean, okay. Did you see it there?" Her tone is almost accusatory, and Remus bites back a chuckle. "Wait..." she pauses, her eyes growing wide, "It's not _your_ umbrella stand, is it?"

"It generally just likes to fade into the background," he says after a moment of consideration. "Nobody really goes out of their way to pay any special attention to it. Well, until you came along…" he trails off, the laughter he fights hard to restrain beginning to surface.

She grins, which is the opposite of the reaction he expects. "I always told Moody and Kingsley that I'd be the one to spice things up over here. And all they did was laugh at me! I knew I'd prove them wrong," she declares, wearing a smug expression.

"Indeed," Remus replies. "I must say, we need as much 'spice' as we can get to keep things from getting deathly dull around here." The words leave his mouth before he can think better of them, and he inwardly cringes at the stupidity of his statement. _Spice? How lame can you get, Lupin?_

The grin on her mouth turns devilish. "Then you've got the right woman for the job. I'm Tonks."

He takes the hand she offers and shakes it, embarrassment still clear in his countenance. "Remus Lupin."

The moment their hands touch for a second time, a sort of eager expectation fills him. He quickly thinks better of it. There is _something_ about this young witch – Tonks – that makes him want to run screaming in the other direction because her boldness, both in deed and how she carries herself, shakes his normally stable footing. Yet it is that same boldness which also roots him to the spot. He knows something is wrong with him when he realizes he feels like the troll leg umbrella stand, knocked over unexpectedly by the tornado unleashed by a certain witch called Tonks.

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**A/N2: **One down, five more vignettes to go. Trust me, I'll be speedy with the updates on this one. :D Thank you for reading, and if you have the time, please review! 


	2. Traipse

**Summary:** He has always known, somehow, that she would end up walking into his life and changing its course. The early stages of Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks's relationship, as explained by the different kinds of walking.

A/N: Here I am again, lol! Like I said, I'd be quick with the updates. xD Anyhow, thanks again to ishandtwofourths and artificial-sprite for the beta! Enjoy!

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**Footsteps**

_(n.) a step with the foot; a step on which to go up or down._

**II. Traipse**

_(v.) to walk or go aimlessly or idly or without finding or reaching one's goal._

He knows who it is the moment he hears her footsteps outside the door.

Remus ignores the little thrill of anticipation that courses through his spine as the doorknob turns. He sinks deeper into the couch, trying to keep the corners of his lips down as a smile threatens to break out on his face. Her presence is dangerous to him, he thinks with determination, as he fixes his gaze on the open pages of _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_, that rest on his lap. He pretends not to see, from the corner of his eye, a purple-haired head poke through the door. He pushes his glasses up his nose and gets back to his reading.

_The giant squid is the largest invertebrate known to Muggle science. It can grow to up to 70 feet in length. Speaking more specifically, at least one giant squid lives in the lake near Hogwarts castle, and seems to be more or less friendly toward the inhabitants—_

He can picture the way she makes a face at the echoes her footsteps produce on the wooden floor, shattering the quiet in the library. He hears the little sigh from her lips as she walks over to where he is, and he braces himself. He does not make any attempt to struggle at she pulls the book from his lap, tossing it aside. Instead, he revels in the sensation caused by the brief contact of her fingers on his trousers.

"I should've known Sirius was right," Tonks says without preamble, quirking a brow at him.

_Right? Right about what?_ Sirius liked to think he was right about a lot of things. Remus searches his brain for something incriminating he could've said to his best friend, and is slightly reassured when nothing potentially embarrassing stands out in his memory. He dares to look with wonder and apprehension into her eyes, which today are flecked with gold. They glint with a teasing twinkle. He appreciates her natural flair for being able to coordinate her appearance, and suppresses a grin at the irony of how she is unable to coordinate her feet.

"He told me that you'd ditch the rest of the meeting by locking yourself up in the library. You thought that I wouldn't catch on, didn't you?"

A bewildered look crosses his face. Tonks grins triumphantly and leans towards him, her purple fringe flopping over her eyes. She pauses, as if in deep thought, and a vivid pink flows from the roots of her hair down to its shimmery ends. It shortens before his eyes into her favorite spiked hairdo, and Remus thinks that he will never tire of watching her through all her changes. She then proceeds to plant her palms on either of his shoulders. He swallows at their sudden proximity.

"The meeting ended hours ago," Remus reminds her pointedly, mostly as a means to distract himself from the tangy orange scent of her perfume. "I just wanted to relax with a good book." His brown eyes sparkle behind his glasses. "You should know better than to believe everything that Sirius spews out of his mouth."

"I know, but…" She wrinkles her nose and gently shakes his shoulders. "You call spending all your free time in a dark, dusty library with a humungous book on--" she glances quickly at the cover of the book on the floor – "'Fantastic beasts'… _relaxing_?" She accentuates her comments with a roll of her eyes. "Come _on_, Remus. At the rate you're going, you'll end up as the sorry male version of the little old lady with too many cats and depressing memories."

"I happen to think they _are_ fascinating," he responds rather defensively, because he cannot bear the thought that she thinks he will end up that way, and the sad truth that he _will_. "And I just wanted to catch up on my sleep. The settee is very comfortable…"

Tonks snorts. "I'm sure you won't have any trouble doing just that, especially if you're reading on…" she finally picks up the book and briefly scans it. "The giant squid?"

"The giant squid was always such a happy fixture for me at Hogwarts. James, Sirius, Peter, and I would spend many a lazy afternoon trying to poke at its tentacles." A wistful smile curves his lips before he can help it. "After all this time, it's still there in the lake near the castle. It's always reassuring that some things never change, you know."

Tonks relinquishes her hold on his shoulders, and seems to be considering his words. He thinks he imagines a sad smile on her face – no, he cannot tolerate pity, for it is the last thing that he needs from her – but it is replaced by the teasing look that he has come to know so well in their few short months of working with each other. Remus admits to himself, albeit a bit hesitantly, that Tonks's presence has made every dreary evening spent drinking a cup of hot tea or a mug of warm chocolate cocoa a lot more worthwhile.

"As much as I love the giant squid, Remus, it's pretty obvious that you need more happy memories." Before he realizes what she is doing, Tonks sits herself down on the settee, and curls up beside him. Through his tatty jumper, the feel of her arms as they wrap loosely around him is electric. "I hope you don't mind. I've spent a long day dealing with Fudge and his bullshit, and I don't fancy sleeping upstairs in my room by myself. That ghoul in the loo just freaks me out."

Remus thinks it is a miracle that he is even capable of nodding. "All right," he answers, and heaves a small sigh as Tonks rests her head on his shoulder. He does not know why he is allowing her to get to him like this, and he does not know where it will lead. But he insists to himself that it cannot go anywhere. It will not continue after tonight, he tells himself firmly, even as his resistance crumbles when those once again dark eyes peer up at him.

"Now, Professor Lupin. Tell me a story about the giant squid. It had better be a good one!"

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A/N: The next part's coming in a jiffy, too.xD I hope you liked what you read! 


	3. Skip

**Summary:** He has always known, somehow, that she would end up walking into his life and changing its course. The early stages of Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks's relationship, as explained by the different kinds of walking.

A/N: This is my favorite "step"to write. :) I hope you guys enjoy reading it! Thanks again to ishandtwofourths and artificial-sprite for being awesome betas!

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**Footsteps**

_(n.) a step with the foot; a step on which to go up or down._

**III. Skip**

_(v.) to move in a light, springy manner by bounding forward with alternate hops on each foot; to pass from one point, thing, subject, etc., to another, disregarding or omitting what intervenes._

He knows that it is the sight of her spinning around rapidly, laughing heartily at herself and falling into a pile of orange and red leaves when she gets too dizzy, that makes his heart skip a beat.

Remus smiles in spite of himself as he leans down and helps Tonks up. It is something automatic between them – each time she falls over (which happens a lot), it is expected that he will reach out and pull her to her feet. Maybe he is thinking too much when he sees – no, hopes – that he is the only one she permits to assist her.

As pathetic as it sounds, it makes him feel special that she usually brushes aside anyone else when they come to her aid, stubbornly insisting that she is fine. They often miss her wincing and cursing herself for her inability to stay upright. Remus believes her clumsiness to be one of her many endearing traits, and often gets frustrated with himself for not having the nerve to tell her what he thinks. His hand is the only thing that he is sure she will not reject.

He indulges himself when he lets his fingers stay wrapped in hers for a moment longer. When he drops her hand and returns his own to his pocket, burrowing it deep where it is out of her reach and where it can be controlled, Remus swears he sees disappointment flicker in her presently green eyes. Today, she wears her hair in all the colors of autumn, and as usual, she is breathtaking.

"I love autumn, don't you?" she asks, and a sense of wonder shines in her eyes once more. Remus decides that they love autumn for very different reasons. He prefers spring because the world around him is full of life, far away from the cold loneliness of winter that makes him die inside. Fall is the season before winter, and although he appreciates the beauty that makes the leaves and the sunlight more stunning, the heavy cloud of impending winter always hangs over his head. Now, he begins to love autumn because it makes her happy, and if he is honest with himself, he wishes he had the opportunity or power to make her smile the way she does when a falling leaf tickles her nose.

"Yes," he says, and his heart soars when she gives him a huge smile. He then throws Moody's Invisibility Cloak over both of them, and they go back to monitoring the activities outside Malfoy Manor, crouched beneath a huge rhododendron bush.

"Remus, when was the last time you rolled around in the leaves?" The question catches him off-guard, and a blush creeps into his skin when the meaning of her words sinks in.

Tonks seems to realize what she has said and has the decency to look slightly horrified. "Oh no, I wasn't thinking like _that!_" She then bursts into a fit of giggles. "Unless… you and Sirius have more Marauder escapades that you aren't telling me about." She wags her eyebrows at him, and it is all he can do not to dive into the leaves and bury his head in embarrassment.

"You should keep quiet, _Nymphadora._ The Death Eaters might spot us," Remus feebly chastises her, and this only makes her laugh harder after a scowling for a second at the use of her first name. He consoles himself with fact that he is making her smile and laugh, something that only a select few can do. He beams to himself at this revelation, remembering how she would usually just roll her eyes or respond sarcastically when other people joked – but when it came to him, even his lame attempts at poking fun at Snape's perpetually greasy hair and how he must have used his prowess in Potions in some way to always make it shiny and shampoo-repellent, had her practically rolling on the floor laughing.

"You know that isn't true, Remus. You cast a damn good Imperturbable Charm – and you're obviously one of the best wizards around. Like hell they'd be able to hear us!" As if to prove her point, Tonks slips a hand into her robes and pulls out a dungbomb. She lobs it at the area in front of her and watches it explode. Remus covers his nose as a putrid stench filters through the air, his shoulders sagging in defeat.

Why does she possess the special ability to make him blush with every word she says?

"Do you always carry a dungbomb in your pocket?" he asks incredulously, yet the amusement rings clear in his voice.

"You never know when you'll come face to face with a bunch of pathetic Death Eaters, so yeah…" Tonks's face assumes an innocent expression, and she winks at him.

"Right. I'm sure the Malfoys will feel terribly threatened." He stands up from his place behind the bush they are hiding out in, and gestures at the high hedges that surround Lucius Malfoy's manor. "Then again, his peacocks could always use a good scare."

She launches herself at him before he has time to react. Remus feels himself toppling sideways into the pile of leaves, her fingers furiously assaulting him as she tries in vain to tickle him. Remus sniggers at her attempts, wondering if she will ever get it through her head that he is not ticklish at all. His laughter subsides when her gold and auburn hair falls into his face, and they are practically nose to nose, eyes boring into the other's as their limbs entwine with the red and orange leaves fluttering around them.

Something shifts in the air around them, and Remus inhales sharply as Tonks closes her eyes and leans into him…

…Only to let out a small cry of pain.

"Bugger. I think I sprained my ankle." Tonks winces, moving against him as she struggles to sit up. Remus pays no mind to the pangs of disappointment that crash over him at the loss of her touch and the feel of her petite body against his—

"Where does it hurt?" he says abruptly, sitting up and taking his wand out of his robes.

"Here." She points to a spot in her ankle that swells with an angry shade of red. Remus points his wand over it and mutters a healing spell under his breath, and soon, her ankle looks flawless once more.

"Where'd you learn to do that so well?" she inquires, sounding genuinely amazed.

The blush that has taken up permanent residence in his cheeks grows deeper. "It's useful to know some healing spells, especially when I wake up all sore and injured the morning after a full moon."

He looks down, almost ashamed of his admission. His mind runs away with a million thoughts of just _how_ can she stand to be near him, to touch him, laugh with him and not at him, and to make him feel so good about himself – when she is perfect, he is a beast, and—

Tonks plants a kiss on his cheek, his skin burning under the brief contact of her lips. "Thank you. Stop worrying about your 'furry little problem' and thinking that you're useless. I know you, Remus. Now, just think about what I'd do if I didn't have you…"

For the first time since his Hogwarts days, Remus throws caution to the wind and wonders how nice it might feel for his hands to skim over the soft fabric of her t-shirt. And so he allows his palms to settle on the small of her back, fingers knotting as he pulls her closer and gives her a smile that lights up his weary brown eyes. She nestles against him and pulls the Invisibility Cloak tight around them.

Days later, Sirius wonders why he walks around the desolate corridors of Grimmauld Place with a spring in his step, and it is all Remus can do to stop from grinning like an idiot.


End file.
